Hams and preparation thereof



Dec. 18, 1945.

' E. c. OSWALD ETAL 2,391,338

HAMS AND PREPARATION THEREOF Filed Dec. 20, 1940 ,2 Sheets-Sheet 1 jfweiziam {geese EJ425015 Zmer 6 Qswa] a/L Dec.'18, 1945. E. c. OSWALD ET AL HAMS AND PREPARATION THEREOF 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ,Zhverzions, 7 88.58 alewisg .ZZmer Uswaid,

l5. 1|) F llillllll EENEE!!!EEEEEEEEE! Filed Dec. 20, 1940 in demand, particularly in certain localities.

" Patented Dec. 18, 1945 HAMS AND' PREPARATION THEREOF Elmer, C. Oswald and Reese Gardiner Lewis, Chicago, Ill., assignors'to Armour and Company, H Chicago, 111., a corporation of Illinois Application December 20, 1940, Serial No. 370,030

' 6 Claims. (01. -157) This invention relates to dried hams and proc esses for preparing them. The invention deals more particularly with dried hams, such as Italian hams, to obtain a boneless product. The present application constitutes a continuation in part of our co-pending application, Serial No. 306,708, for Preparation of hams, which has maturecl into Patent No. 2,227,738 of January 7, 1941.

' The hams here referred to are those which in the course of preparation are subjected to extended drying treatment and which are quite firm and hard. Typical of this class of hams are the Italian hams and the Virginia hams, which have been marketed formany years and still are In all prior processes it has never been possible to dry the ham with the bone removed, anda very'serious objection to the dried hams heretofore on the market is that due to the presence of the bone the ham is hard to cut into suitable slices and the meat retailer has never been able to get a satisfactory'yield in cutting the meat from the bone. Because of the bone, the marketman has not been able to use a slicing machine,

andsince the meat is firm and hard'he cannot carve it effectively with a knife. The customary way of slicing such hams is to cut them more or less parallel with the bone, and this is wasteful and usually requires cutting with the grain of the meat. From a standpoint of tenderness and palatability, it would be desirable to cut against the grain of the meat, but the bone contained in this firm type of ham has heretofore made this impracticable.

' Though hams of the soft, tender type have long been prepared in boneless'form, the severe drying treatment characteristic of driedham processes has heretofore prevented boning ofsuch hams.

The problem of drying a boned ham is made particularly difficult because of the opportunity during the long drying period for growth of microorganisms which deleteriously affect the product.

It has been found impossible to remove the bone from a ham without inoculating the cavity with objectionable micro-organisms to at least some degree. In the later extended drying period, these organisms will normally grow and the bone cavity provides a place very favorable to such organisms during this'period.

An important object of this invention is to provide in boneless forma ham product which micro-organisms in the course of continued drying is held to a minimum.

We have found that by maintaining a boned ham under pressure during the drying period, the

growth of objectionable organisms within the ham is substantially reduced and in addition'we have found that by placing fat in a bone cavity prior to the application of pressure, we can further restrict the growth of objectionable organisms within the ham. And we have further found that objectionable organisms can be restricted even more effectively by the use of gelatin for sealin the walls of the fissures and cavities together. These and other details of the invention will be more clearly understood after the following detailed explanation. I

In the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 illustrates a fresh ham at the start of I the treatment, the bones being shown in dotted outline; I

Fig. 2 shows the ham after the shank end has been severed and the bone removed;

Fig. 3 shows the boned ham after the fat has been placed inrthe bone cavity; V

Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken at line 4-4 of Fig.3;

Fig. 5 shows the ham being pressed in a mold;

Fig. 6 is a front view of the ham as held under pressure during the drying period; 7

Fig. 7 is asectional view taken as indicated at line l-l of Fig. 6; and

Fig. 8 shows a boned ham prepared in accordance'with a modified'form of the invention in ticing the invention:

has all the body and flavor characteristics of the dried type of hams, and another object is to provide a procedure forpreparing a boneless dried ham'product wherein the objectionable growth of The hams to be treated may be placed in a vat in contact with the curing composition commonly used in the preparation of this particular type of dried ham, and may be left in cure for about 30 to days as is the usual custom. At the close of this curing period, the hams may then be soaked in warm water, for about an hour to soften them preparatory to boning.

As shown in Figure 1, the ham [0 contains the aitchbone H, the femur l2, and the shank bone I3. The aitchbone is carved out and removed, and this leaves a channel-like cavity I4, as shown in Fig. 2. r I H Preferably, the extreme shank end of the ham is severed and removed since this enables easier, boning and a more convenient shape for pressing. In removing the shank and femur, these bones are chiseled about from each free end and then pulled endwise from the ham. This leaves a rather ragged opening at l which deepens cavity l4, and also an opening H3 at the shank end. Preferably the shank end of the ham is then stitched as shown in Fig. 3 to bring the skin or flesh over the end of the ham and to close opening l6.-

If desired, pieces of fat I! may be filled into the cavity [4 and opening t5, and with the fat so I placed, the edges of the cavity may be pulled upfirm with the .fat by taking stitches l8; Figs 3 and 4 show the ham as fattecl and sewed, ready for pressing.

The ham may be put in the press l9,.which press may be of pear-shape cross section and may be lined i a t ble archment. pa er 28. When the clamps l9 of the press are set, the

ti w i h. hav heir ked, n sa t aha ta wi e oft e nt iner ot o A rac et 25. shhhq tst e. old. nd ha a, eck 5% QQI YQIfiQQQ, h hsi sv the mo d ht d ying- The mold 2| containing the ham l0 under pressure is hung in a drying room for from. abputBQ to fiq daysh If an especially hard Italian 'han is, desired,;the drying may be extended even beyond 60 days. Also the drying time may be,

somewhat-less than 30 days if the room temperature is somewhat. higher, but must not be less than 20 .daysusing a temperature of about 50 degrees F. if a ham of the type herein contemplated is, tobe pr oduced After the hams have been thoroughly 'set and have been under pressure during the first part of the extendeddrying period, the

hre sh e on th e e may, i e ir d h e ve during the remainder of th,eperiod.

During the drying period, the ham loses moisture and also changes its flavor somewhat. The change in flavor may be .due to drying or to aging or, both, and is characteristic of hams of this ype- The ham as thus prepared is compact in shape and contains meat of the same body andfiavor characteristics as the ordinary Italian hams containingbones. It will be apparentthat this product may be placed in the slicing machines now in common use in meat markets and may be sliced in slices .of anydesired, thickness. The hihsmay e hone acro s he grain o h m ere y. cutt n the fi erslan c makin th me more palatable.v Avery important advantage is gained inobtaining asubstantially greater yield otmeat slices. fromthedried ham, and another important advantage is inthe greater convenience to theretailer in-the marketing ofthis type of ham.-

The detailed-description herein set forth gives one specific mode of making aboneless Italian ham by our new process, but it'is' expected that the specific procedure maybe varied greatly in.

accordance withcomrnon knowledge in the meat packing industry, While still utilizing the features of our invention.

Instead of curing the ham prior to the removal of the bones, as explained in the foregoing example, the ham may first be boned and then placed in cure; and after being cured may be treated as explained in the example given.

Other kinds of hard or dried hams may be prepared by our improved method, such as the Virginia ham. The principal variations for produc- 1 1% other kinds of hard hams consists of using a different kind of curing composition, trimming the ham different-1y, or in using different times and temperatures at certain stages of the process. preparing the Virginia ham the drying period maybe from three to six months under ordinary drying conditions, but may be less than this underspecial centrolled drying conditions employing higher temperatures,

Our invention deals exclusively with the hard Or ed p f amsr hd u t. elea ly distinguished from ,other processes Where the ex-. ndeddry n per od is no emp oy d. In this, descri-ption and, the appended claims, the term;- fdried hams will beunderstoodto-mean hams. which have been. subjected tothe drying and a ing treatment for .at least. aperiod theequiva lent of. 20, days in a dr ying temperature-of --l' 0 -F.

As previously stated,,this extended. drying period makes this type of, ham peculiarly-subject; tov spoilage through, growth, of objectionable 013-- ganisms. We now. find thatthe maintenancetof pressure on. the boned ham during .the drying pe-t d e ate t l i coura e hev row h f-obie e'v tionableiorganisrns, within .;the,ham so;that it is;

,. olding t ham nd r pr ssure during..th y:-

ing period, works i conjunction with the :initial; m ress ng, p in, ac om l shin th pu e intended. The; initial pressing..step, wherein the; meat. iscompressed in.a mold, serves, to shape the. mea nd c o ehe; ar t es, but as w have w found, this. in itself, is ,insufiicient ta -prevent, p ila e du in e ub e uent dryin pe1 iod.; Thestmng pressureof the initialmold however, does serve well in conjunction with; theglat er pressing during drying to. prevent formation of moldand bacterial, disturbances. It. is'satisfac: t ry i r su e. is. applied uificien ly, 1011s during the drying per od to avoid the formati n: o .moldhndth p e sur eedh textend throu theentire period.

By the drying operationthe moisture :0,htl= 1. .t of the, ham is re ducecl.below 50,%.,

In Fi 50f, theedrawings isi givenarspecifictype. of mold, but. it;.isc ntemplated.that ..other types of molds can,be,used. For example the, moldsmighthaye a differentcross,sectional shape, and may, av fferent. mea s fo ma nta nin the pressure, It is, of ,.course, desiredthatatheh mold used be sufiiciently strong and provided; w th ab eme hs-fh ma ntainin -a .s .on -,r silient pressure.

herppa t s m als e. u s ituted: for. 1- that own i tea. 6 Wi e molds have p e o sl been use gtonform e hertypesof'meatand; some types {of moldfs which have been usedinjth'is connection may be found suitable for pressing the ham during dryingin the present process. It-is essential, however; that the mold used be perforat so as to permit drying to take place without difficulty. Though no heavy pressure is -required during drying, it is important that the screen or wire mold or any other suitable device used be sufficiently stiff and strong to insure against deformation of the ham or opening of any cavities during the drying period.

In the modification shown in Fig. 8, the skin portion about th shankis removed so as to provide no crevices, and the meat about the channel left by the withdrawal of the shank bone is suit-' ably tucked into the channel and the channel closed by stitches. We have discovered that an extremely effective filling of the entire cavity can be brought about by introducing into the cavity a gelatin solution of any of the well-known varieties on the market. Th gelatin is much more effective than the fat in preventing mold formation in the cavities and fissures because of its high 'sealingquality and the binding effect of thegelatin solution itself between the Walls of the cavity. After the addition of the gelatin, th harm are'then preferably subjected to pressure to bring the walls of the cavities more closely together with the gelatin providing an effective seal. The gelatin effectively excludes the air while at the same time uniting thewalls of the cavity and'forming abody of substantially solid cross section. o. To introduce the gelatin, it is preferably heated sufficiently to flow Well and is injected with a nozzle or other suitable means for injection into the crevices and fissures of the meat. We find that ifthe ham is heated to temperatures such as 110 or 120 degrees F. as is necessary in the heat treatment step after the gelatinhas been added, this heat has a deleterious effect on the binding qualities of the gelatin and also tends to make the gelatin run out of the fissures 'to some extent. By inserting the gelatin after the heating step, we avoid these disadvantages.

After being treated with gelatin, the h'ams are preferably held under pressure while cooling takes place and the gelatin becomes set. It is then better to allow the hams to remain under pressure in a perforate mold or between screens during at least a portion of the extended drying period.

The following is given'as a specific example of this modified form of procedure:

Example I The hams are soaked for about three hours in water having a temperature of about 70 degrees F. and then hung in a room having a,

. ting about it from each end, the bone is removed from the meat. Three. stitches, indicated by numeral 3|, are taken in the face of the ham to close the aitchbone cavity, and after tucking in the shank edge portions, two stitches, indicated by the numeral 30, are taken at this point.

The boned ham is placed in a stockinette bag and then into a pear-shaped container in which it is subjected to strong pressure for about two days. Upon removal from the container, the ham is placed under pressure between screens and kept in a heated room for about three days.

Thenith'e-hams aretaken from the pressure screens andaheated gelatin solution is injected by pumping it through a-nozzle well into the bone cavities and any other fissures in the ham body, the gelatin being indicated by numeral 32 in Fig. 8. V

The gelatin-treated ham is prepared and placed under pressure between the screens'for about a week, and then hung in stockinette bags until the completion of the drying period. When dry; the hams have a moisture content below 50%.

The above specific example contains many specific details and these must not be taken to limit the invention in any way, the example being given to set forth more clearly one possible way for utilizing our invention.

The product which we obtain, notwithstanding the extremely long treating period extending overa month in time, is free of mold and has a'solid cross section throughout. The long drying period does not bring about the formation of mold within the cavities, especially when utilizing the advantages of gelatin in producing a tight seal to thereby exclude air from contact with the cavity walls.

We claim:

1. A process for preparing dried hams, comprisingremoving the bone from the ham, introducing gelatin into the cavity to fill the space and to seal the cavity, pressing the ham to shape it in a compact mass of solid cross-section throughout in which air is substantially excluded from I the interior of the mass, and subjecting the ham to a prolonged drying treatment to reduce the moisture content thereof to less than 50%.

2. A process for preparing dried hams, comprising removing the bones from the ham,'sealing the cavity with a filling material, pressing the ham to shape it in acompact mass of solid cross-section throughout in which air is substantially excluded from the interior of the mass, and subjecting the ham to a prolonged drying treatment to reduce the moisture content thereof to less than 50%.

3. A process for preparing dried hams, comprising removing the bones from the ham, stitching the meat adjacent one end of the cavity, in-

troducing gelatin to seal the cavity, stitching the other end of the cavity, and subjecting th ham to prolonged drying treatment while maintaining it under-pressure during at least a substantial portion of said drying treatment.

4. A process for preparing dried hams, comprising removing the bones from the ham, introducing gelatin within the cavity to seal the same, and subjecting the ham to drying treatment while maintaining it under pressure for a period- 5. A process for preparing dried hams, comprising removing the bones from the ham, cutting away the skin about the shank of the ham, stitching the opening in the shank from which the a shank bone was removed, pressing the ham to shape it in a compact mass whereby the walls of the bone cavity are brought together, and subjecting the pressed ham to an extended drying treatment sufiicient to remove at least 50% of its moisture while maintaining it under pressure durin asuhstanisial portion f rsaiddrry ng treah Pe -.ham;m an. tQndQd yin gtreatmenn menh. sufi qi ntm a eduqe he mo s re cqntent tqles 6. Aprocess forp eparing-, r e am comman;- 50%,: wh e.- mai inin ihe ham, unden prising: removin then fr m theham c105- pljvess ure-duning at least a subsqantialv portion; of mg the. opening in the ham from which mebone 5 thqdryingtz eatment.

was removed, pressing the; hamfuo; shape it; a C. OSWALD. compactmass wherebythe walls of the; bone: REESE GARDINER LEWIS.

cavity are brought together, andsubjectingthe 

